Doctoral Dissertation Research: Child Care Workers in Context: A Study of Family Day Care Providers in Illinois

本文比较了专业化和工会化作为促进家庭托儿工作者利益的手段。最初，定性方法将调查代表每种策略的两个伊利诺伊州竞选活动。专业化和工会化运动的不同之处在于它们对儿童发展专家或基层组织者的依赖；他们提倡更好的培训和认证，或强调工人团结；在他们的州为提高儿童保育标准或增加工人工资而进行的游说活动中。调查将评估每一种运动在动员儿童保育工作者的支持方面的成功情况。研究预计，工会化运动对低收入儿童保育工作者更有吸引力，而专业化运动应得到受过良好教育的儿童保育工作者的更好支持。

This dissertation compares professionalization and unionization as means for promoting the interests of family child-care workers. Initially, qualitative methods will investigate two Illinois campaigns representing each strategy. The professionalization and unionization campaigns differ in their reliance on child development experts or grassroots organizers; in their advocacy of better training and certification or their emphasis on worker solidarity; and in their state lobbying efforts for higher child care standards or increased pay for workers. Surveys will evaluate the success of each type of campaign in mobilizing support among child care workers. The study expects the unionization campaign to be more attractive to lower income child care workers while the professionalization campaign should be better supported by the child care workers who are already better educated.